[Andeh]

Yeah, I definitely liked the shorter dead stroke before things got messed up, so I'm going to try messing around with different lengths to find something that works. I'm sure that whatever the factory setting is has a good amount of tolerance built into it.

A few other oddities I noticed during this exercise so far:

On bike 1 (the one with the lockup issue), prior to doing this, the deadstroke on my rear brake was noticeably longer than the front. Also, when I would use a digital caliper to set the levers to the same distance from the grip, the silver threaded part on the reach adjuster was significantly further out than the rear brake. When setting levers to the same distance on bike 2, the reach adjuster looked the same as the front on bike 1. A spare lever I have off a totaled brake when installed on the rear of bike 1 and then set to the same distance then looks the same. No idea why 1 / 5 levers has a different reach setup, or how its even possible.

On bike 2, even after shortening the ball end to the maximum amount, there was still a fair amount of dead stroke. The pads on that bike are much more worn and the bleed is a lot older (but the bike gets ridden a lot less). On that bike after shortening the ball end and setting the lever reach to the same amount, front/rear contact point felt identical. Bike 1 has fresher pads and bleeds, and had a nearly instant contact point, after the ball end was set the same.

 

[Happymtb.fr]

Interesting! I have no explanation to your observations, sorry

One question: do you adjust the reach to be the same at the resting position or at the bite point? It is just a preference and both should be close to each other in an ideal scenario but personally I go for similar bite point if the dead strokes differ.

About the perfect position for the MC seals, I guess that you could move the MC forward until the point where you cannot push brake fluid from the caliper to the lever as you normally do when bleeding your brake. What do you think?
I don't know what would happen if the seal blocks only half the timing port... the timing port is already some pretty small holes

 

[Andeh]

I adjust the reach to be the same on the stand, then mess with one of them (invariably the right/rear further outward) to make them feel like they bite at the same point. I'm also right handed and obviously stronger on that side too, so I'm guessing the bite is actually the same but feels further in because of difference in grip strength.

 

[Da Peach]

I imagine doing a combination of adjusting the ball end and the small Alen adjustment for dead stroke do the same thing. The little Alen head adjuster on mine has it such that it is all used up for the shortest throw possible. If I were to “give” a little back on that adjustment, but still max out the ball head adjustment that would prevent the lock up issue.

 

[Nick]

Are you going to Bionol or just Shimano them?

Bump! I found a US source for Bionol and ordered a liter for the garage.

These Kaha brakes continue to AMAZE as far as feel and overall power goes. The bite point adjustment works great and with tweaking of that + reach adjust I'd imagine anyone could dial in these levers to their taste.

I fouled the rear pads doing a bleed and threw in some sintered TRP pads and they're fucking anchors. I'll swap out for the organic pads, for sure.

The adjuster wheel could be a bit easier to access, but it's totally manageable. You can get the throw so minimal that the lever can be quite close to knuckles. That's not my style, FWIW, but worth mentioning.

Running 203mm TRP 2.3 rotors front/rear ... So good.

 

[Andeh]

I imagine doing a combination of adjusting the ball end and the small Alen adjustment for dead stroke do the same thing. The little Alen head adjuster on mine has it such that it is all used up for the shortest throw possible. If I were to “give” a little back on that adjustment, but still max out the ball head adjustment that would prevent the lock up issue.

So I did a little bit of experimenting, and for me personally, setting the ball length to 34.0mm the right side felt a bit quicker than left (at the stock 34.4). 34.1 feels damn close, maybe a hair quicker. Still enough throw that I don't think it will interfere with timing port. I'll give it a ride tomorrow to stress test it.

The original dead stroke didn't really ever bother me too much (if anything I like it in situations where I'm chicken braking - I can pull a little bit out of fear but know I'm not actually slowing down). I just like my left/right levers to feel like they engage at the same point. My favorite feature of Codes was the contact adjuster for that reason.

@Nick how's the lever pull force & definition of bite point compare to some other brakes? I've been curious about the Kaha for a while but there's so few reviews out there I've never taken the plunge. At this point what I'd need in order to switch would be something with the light feel of a Dominion, same total power, but mineral oil and either SRAM or Intend style bleed process. Bonus points if they work with readily available brake pad shapes (SRAM / Shimano), and 2.3mm thick rotors.

 

[Nick]

@Nick how's the lever pull force & definition of bite point compare to some other brakes? I've been curious about the Kaha for a while but there's so few reviews out there I've never taken the plunge. At this point what I'd need in order to switch would be something with the light feel of a Dominion, same total power, but mineral oil and either SRAM or Intend style bleed process. Bonus points if they work with readily available brake pad shapes (SRAM / Shimano), and 2.3mm thick rotors.

To me it feels like a super light pull compared to what I've used (Shimano from 755s > 820s, DHR-Evo) probably comparable to the TRPs which I really love also. I can't compare to Dominion as I haven't tried them. When you can set the bite point where you'd like the reach really becomes advantageous to leverage, vs just being able to literally reach the levers.

I'm not used to the SRAM bleeding edge thing so it took some getting used to. If I could I'd have an external bleed screw fitting on all calipers. Pad shape is V4/TRP 4-piston, so readily available (here at least) and designed for 2.3 rotors. I'm using my previous TRP 203mm rotors with excellent results.

This guy is on to something here. I hope he can scale up and keep quality high.

 

[Subversion_Garage]

I more or less follow what Magura shows in terms of elevating the caliper above the lever. For the front caliper it's obviously pretty easy. For the rear, I have the bike in a repair stand and just rotate it to raise the caliper above the lever. There's typically enough slack in the brake hose that if you unbolt the caliper, you can raise/lower it a few inches to push the last of the air out without making too much of a mess.

It is asinine though, no argument there.

 

[Jm_]

Wow...I've got a nice great firm lever feel and I didn't go nearly as crazy as that. I did let fluid run back out the rear port from the open syringe in the lever...that again seems like the best way to not let air in when closing up the system.

 

[jonKranked]

new gustav's incoming.....

 

[Westy]

I have been riding Hayes Dominions pretty much exclusively for the past year. Last week I would have said they are the best performing brakes I have ever had. But this weekend I hopped on my bike with some old TRP Quadiums on them. The Hayes feel vastly superior in the parking lot test, better initial bite and stiffer lever feel. But when ridden in anger I feel like I had much better braking control with the TRPs. Felt super controlled riding at the edge of traction and was managing to find new tighter lines while actually going faster. Perhaps time to re-evaluate things a bit.

 

[jonKranked]

I have been riding Hayes Dominions pretty much exclusively for the past year. Last week I would have said they are the best performing brakes I have ever had. But this weekend I hopped on my bike with some old TRP Quadiums on them. The Hayes feel vastly superior in the parking lot test, better initial bite and stiffer lever feel. But when ridden in anger I feel like I had much better braking control with the TRPs. Felt super controlled riding at the edge of traction and was managing to find new tighter lines while actually going faster. Perhaps time to re-evaluate things a bit.

maybe just ride angry more often?

 

[Westy]

maybe just ride angry more often?

View attachment 213851

He is all the way over on the East Coast. I will stick to bikes.